Wagner July 08.Indd
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Wagner Society in NSW Inc. Newsletter No. 112, July 2008 IN NEW SOUTH WALES INC. President’s Report Dear Members Warwick has agreed to give a talk on 15 March 2009 on his musical “coming to Wagner.” Welcome to our mid-year Newsletter for 2008. (2) April – Glenn Winslade Past Functions (1) March – Warwick Fyfe On Sunday April 20, Glenn Winslade gave a talk on his experiences from a singer’s perspective at Bayreuth, where On Sunday 16 March, Warwick Fyfe delivered an immensely he sang the title role in Tannhäuser in 2002 and 2003. entertaining illustrated talk on his study tour in Europe last November as the 2007 Bayreuth Scholar. Glenn’s talk provided insights into the highs and lows of life for a new singer at Bayreuth, told with much warmth While some Bayreuth scholars return from their travels and humour. These ranged from his audition for Wolfgang and are never heard of again, most provide a short written Wagner and his engagement (Glenn’s agent wouldn’t account to Opera Foundation Australia of their itinerary believe that he’d been given the role); the extraordinary abroad. Warwick’s report of around 90 pages, with many behaviour of his landlord at Bayreuth; the attitude of some photographs, is an open diary of his study tour which tells of the “old hands” in the Festspiele theatre who expected the tale of his travels -the musicians and friends he met, the him to fail and only at the end offered him advice, for places he went, the rehearsals and concerts he attended, example on areas of the theatre where the acoustic was the art galleries he visited, his auditions, his pilgrimages. less perfect; his friendship with John Wegner, who sang Warwick’s talk covered many of the highlights (and with the role of Biteroff; the dangers created by Philippe Arlaud’s some unfortunate experiences with food, the low lights) alluring butcher’s grass meadow set in Act 1; the way the of his travels, with his wife Ruth Frances in charge of the sets changed the acoustic for the singers; the difficulty of overheads and photographs, and was the best “thank keeping one’s voice warm during the hour-long intervals so you” a Scholar has ever given the Society. beloved of the beer and wurst brigade; and much more. We’ve posted Warwick’s report on our website and the PRESIDENT’S REPORT continued p.3 l Editor has extracted a “teaser” printed below to entice you to read his report, and although there may still be an annoying problem with words with umlauts (apparently NEWSLETTER HIGHLIGHTS I have the “wrong character set”) it’s well worth downloading and reading. At over 250Mb with photos, it Bayreuth Festival - Another Chapter P6 proved something of a monster, and in keeping with our in the Saga new “small footprint” age, only the text is online. Walking in Warwick’s footsteps through each room of a gallery Bill Viola’s Tristan Project - Katie French P7 you’ve visited and seeing the works through his eyes is one of its many delights. Wagner and Friends - Barbara Brady P8 President’s Report - 2008 AGM P10 PATRON: Sir Charles Mackerras “Young Set to Become Keeper of the P12 Ring in Hamburg” HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS: Prof Michael Ewans Mr Richard King It Ain’t Over Until The Iguana Sings P14 Mr Horst Hoffman Application For Tickets to the P15 Mr Joseph Ferfoglia Bayreuth Festival 2009 Mrs Barbara NcNulty OBE Registered Office: 75 Birtley Towers, 8 Birtley Place, Elizabeth Bay NSW 2011 Print Post Approved PP242114/00002 Wagner Society in NSW Inc. For Your Diary 2008 see below for a number of performances in other states. Sunday, July 20 Simone Young concert featuring Englebert Humperdinck’s four- Utzon Room, hand piano arrangement of Richard Wagner’s Parsifal. With Sydney Opera House narration in German and English, twelve short movements are brought to life by passages of text from the opera. Meetings Dates & Coming Events DATE EVENTS - 2008 TIME & LOCATION July 20 Peter Bassett to talk on ‘Lortzing’s 1840 Singspiel, Hans Sachs, 2pm Goethe Institut as inspiration for Wagner’s Die Meistersinger’ August No Meeting 2pm Goethe Institut September 14 Dr Robert Gibson 2pm Paddington Uniting Church September 28 Chris Broderick, the new President of the New Zealand Wagner 2pm Goethe Institut Society will talk on “Wagner and the Visual Arts” October 19 Goetz Richter (A/Prof. Strings- Chair, String Unit, Sydney 2pm Goethe Institut Conservatorium) will talk on Nietzsche and Wagner November 16 Visit to the Opera Centre, Elizabeth Street, Opera Centre, Elizabeth St hosted by Sharna Flowers TBC November 30 Early Christmas Party 2pm Goethe Institut Goethe-Institut address 90 Ocean Street Woollahra (corner of Jersey Road) Paddington Unit Church address 395 Oxford Street, Paddington (parking behind in Gordon Street) Committee 2008 - 2009 President and Membership Secretary Roger Cruickshank 9357 7631 Vice President Julian Block 9337 6978 Treasurer Michael Moore 9363 2281 Secretary Alan Whelan 9318 1212 Members Dennis Mather 9560 1860 Gabrielle Bremner-Moore 9363 2281 Julie Carroll Newsletter Editor Terence Watson 9517 2786 Public Officer Alisdair Beck 9358 3922 Page 2 Wagner Society in NSW Inc. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the firm of Walter President’s Report continued Turnbull, its Executive Director Mr Mark Driessen, and particularly Mr Christopher Ritchie, for their generosity He also spoke about the modern tendency for and patience in successfully guiding us through this performances of Wagner and Richard Strauss to be very audit experience, and for their considerable work on our loud, and supported the view that Tannhäuser is almost behalf. I’d also like to again acknowledge our thanks to unsingable, with such hurdles as the string of ten top As Ms Julie Carroll, who approached Walter Turnbull on our in Act 2. This was a glimpse into a world often hidden behalf and secured their services pro bono. from its devotees. Meeting entrance fees raised to $15 Glenn also spoke of the on-stage accident in which he The motion to increase the attendance fee at our had been involved, and how it had led to his untimely meetings was amended (from $12) and passed. From retirement. An idea of what we have lost is gained our next meeting on July 20, the entrance fee will be from a review of Opera Australia’s 2002 production of $15 for members. Members at the AGM also directed Lohengrin in Melbourne, which appeared in The Age on the committee to consider increase annual membership 29 April that year. John Slavin, whose reviews are not fees, and a motion will be put to the 2009 AGM with a renowned for their generosity of spirit, wrote “Winslade proposal. grows in confidence as the opera proceeds. By the crucial bedroom scene of act two when Elsa breaks the Bayreuth ticket application handling unchanged contract and betrays him, he is magnificent. He is that The motion to change the way we handle members’ rare thing, a genuine heldentenor who can soar above applications for Bayreuth Tickets was lost. The proposal the stunning volume that conductor Gabor Otvos draws was that priority be given to applicants in one year who from Orchestra Australia. Winslade tends to shout the had applied unsuccessfully in the previous year(s), in opening phrase of each monologue in order to stamp effect creating a “waiting list” which would ensure that his authority on it, but his singing of the crucial recitative provided you applied every year you were guaranteed a “In Fernem Land”, which reveals his identity, is lyrical and ticket, although because of the ballot you had no control memorable.” over the year in which you would get tickets. This would (3) May - AGM have aligned our process with the public allocation system used in Bayreuth, and ensured that members who had On Sunday May 18, we held our 2008 AGM at the never been would eventually get tickets. Paddington Uniting Church. I was somewhat unsettled by the overwhelming defeat Audited accounts of this proposal. I’ve been to Bayreuth three times – The formal part of the meeting included the presentation twice with tickets obtained through the Society – and of our audited accounts for the 2007 calendar year, which the memories of those visits are still vividly with me. I’m were adopted by the meeting. These have been lodged concerned that we may create a two-tiered Society - those with the regulator, and a copy has been posted on our who have not been to Bayreuth, and those who have. website for members to read. Because of the need to While there are other avenues for obtaining tickets, such publish the accounts in full, it’s not possible to include as joining the Friends of Bayreuth, or applying annually them in this Newsletter, and I’d urge you to have a look through the public ticket allocations (which I understand at them on the website. If you can’t access the web, takes around 10 years), members of the Society who please phone me or another member of the committee have never been to Bayreuth should not feel that the and we’ll print out a copy and post it to you. ticket allocation system disadvantages them. After our applications for Bayreuth 2009 close, I will submit a The auditors have made two qualifications. First, they questionnaire to the committee and, with its approval, have noted that “it is not practicable for the Society to we will survey members on their attitudes to a range of maintain an effective system of internal control over cash options.